Car collection to raise money for animals

June 14, 2007|by JULIE E. GREENE

WILLIAMSPORT - When Don Bowman was a teenager pumping gas and washing cars at Betholine Sinclair gas station on Pennsylvania Avenue in Hagerstown, he often would admire the attractive new cars that pulled in for service.

"At 40 cents an hour, all you can do is dream," said Bowman, 69, of those days.

Thanks to several successful business ventures, including D.M. Bowman trucking, Bowman has been able to gather about 40 collectible cars since 1980 as well as about eight antique trucks. They include a red 2002 Chevy Corvette, a 1999 yellow Prowler, a '58 Edsel and a red '57 Chevy.

On Saturday, he will open his car museum up to people who share another passion of his, animals.

Bowman and his wife, Jone, are hosting the Humane Society of Washington County's annual Hawaiian-theme LuHowl fundraiser at their Williamsport-area Milestone Farm for the third year. Tickets are $40 each.

"We love animals. All of our dogs have been strays," Jone Bowman said. She also likes the humane society's spay and neuter program, Dog Snip, which the fundraiser will support.

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Dog Snip helps financially challenged county residents get their dogs neutered or spayed, vaccinated and tagged with a microchip in case they get lost, said Katherine Cooker, the local Humane Society's manager of development and community relations.

Last year's LuHowl raised $20,000 and was attended by about 200 people, Cooker said.

In addition to Bowman's museum, which also has a large collection of model trucks, there will be easy listening music by Tom King and Ted Raschka of Tom & Ted.

Raffle prize drawings will be held every 30 minutes with a grand prize of a five-night cruise from Baltimore to Bermuda aboard Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas.